Are you …
- employed by a philanthropic tech company?
- a member of a local service club?
- an employee of a bank with a charitable giving program?
- connected to a corporate or family foundation?
- on staff at a company with a matching gifts program?
- affiliated with a B-corporation?
If you are, you could help Live Earth Farm Discovery Program!
Our new Development Coordinator is pursuing grants to support our on-farm education programs for children and families. There are many funding opportunities that require employee or member support.
Please help us pursue funding for farm field trips, summer camp scholarships, transportation to the farm for underserved participants, and more, by lending your support to a grant request. It’s easy!
Contact Brooke at development@liveearthfarm.net if you are connected to one of these organizations, or another corporate or family foundation or charitable giving program. Thank you for your support!
LIVE EARTH FARM DISCOVERY PROGRAM IN THE RUNNING FOR A SEEDS OF CHANGE® GRANT AND NEEDS COMMUNITY TO GET OUT THE VOTE
Local Non-Profit Vying to Win One of Several $20,000, $10,000 and $1,000 Grants from the Certified Organic Seed and Food Company
WATSONVILLE, CA (March 31, 2015) – The Live Earth Farm Discovery Program has entered the Seeds of Change® Grant Program for an opportunity to win one of two $20,000, five $10,000 grants or ten $1,000 grants and is asking the community to get out and vote for their application. The Grant Program aims to enhance the environmental, economic and social well-being of gardens, farms and communities. The grants will be awarded to organizations that help support sustainable, community-based gardening and farming programs that focus on teaching people about the food they eat and how it’s grown.
Last month, the Seeds of Change® Grant Program accepted hundreds of applications from organizations and schools across the country. The Live Earth Farm Discovery Program submitted an application highlighting how they would use a Seeds of Change® Grant to grow their farm-based camp scholarship program and achieve their goals of of teaching awareness of where food comes from, the work and resources required to grow it, and the personal, environmental, and economic benefits of eating sustainably raised, local farm fresh produce.
[button link=”http://www.seedsofchangegrant.com/TheGallery.aspx/”]Vote Here, Vote Daily[/button]
From April 9 through April 20, the community can get out the vote and support local gardening and farming programs by visiting the Seeds of Change® website at www.seedsofchangegrant.com/TheGallery.aspx and searching “Discovery” to find the Discovery Garden at Live Earth Farm or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/seedsofchange and voting once per day from each device. After voting closes on April 20, the top 50 organizations with the most votes will move on to the final judging phase. Around May 5, Seeds of Change® will announce the 34 grant recipients.
For more information about Seeds of Change® or the Seeds of Change® Grant Program, please visit www.seedsofchangegrant.com. Funding for the Seeds of Change® Grant Program comes from the 1% Fund, the company’s commitment to donate one percent of net sales to community-based nutrition and gardening programs. Residents can also follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter using #SeedsofChangeGrant.
###
About the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program
The Live Earth Farm Discovery Program (LEFDP) is a farm-based education non-profit organization in Watsonville, California. LEFDP makes seed to mouth, farm to fork, and child to community connections through a variety of hands-on educational programs serving the youth of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and Monterey counties and beyond. A special emphasis is placed on reaching under served people in the community to bolster individual, community and environmental health.
About Seeds of Change®
Seeds of Change® was founded in 1989 by passionate gardeners with a vision to make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers, while preserving countless heirloom seed varieties in danger of being lost to the “advances” of modern industrial agriculture. For 26 years, we have remained true to our original vision by offering a wide selection of organic seeds including heirloom, traditional, and rare seeds. Our seeds are produced through a network of certified organic family farms and professional growers. Through these partnerships, we continually cultivate study and develop seeds with the goal of producing the finest certified organic varieties to share with our fellow gardeners and farmers. In 1997 our business expanded to also include Organic Food inspired by the notion that great taste and sustainability go hand in hand. We now offer a wide variety of Ready to Heat organic Rice and Grain varieties as well as organic cooking sauces. For more information about Seeds of Change® visitwww.seedsofchange.com for our seed products and www.seedsofchangefoods.com for our food products. For additional information, please contact us at the information provided above or at Seeds of Change®, P.O. Box 4908, Rancho Dominguez, CA 90220.
Seeds of Change Grant Voting April 9-20, 2015
Dear LEFDP Supporters,
I have entered our organization in the Seeds of Change® Grant Program. Seeds of Change® is an organic food and seed company that is committed to helping organizations across the country create healthier, more sustainable communities. In support of their mission, they are giving community-based gardening and farming programs an opportunity to receive $200,000 in funding, distributed through $20,000, $10,000 and $1,000 grants. I would like to ask for your help in supporting our submission during the public voting phase of the process.
To enter, we submitted an application through www.seedsofchangegrant.com where I explained how we would use the grant to achieve our organization’s goals of teaching awareness of where food comes from, the work and resources required to grow it, and the personal, environmental, and economic benefits of eating sustainably raised, local farm fresh produce. On April 9 at 12:00 p.m. EDT, the public begins voting for the applications that have been submitted. Each person has the opportunity to vote one time per day until April 20 at 12:00 p.m. EDT.
[button link=”http://www.seedsofchangegrant.com/TheGallery.aspx”]Vote Here[/button]
search “Discovery” to vote for LEFDP’s Discovery Garden
Around April 23, the top 50 applications that receive the most votes will move on to the final judging phase. Around May 5, Seeds of Change® will announce which school programs and which organization programs will each receive one of the two $20,000 grants, the five $10,000 grants or the ten $1,000 grants. Seventeen schools and 17 organizations will be chosen.
This is a great opportunity for our community to rally behind our program and I hope you’ll help me get the word out through our social media and communication channels to encourage votes for our organization! And please vote yourselves as many days as you can during the April 9-20 campaign.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Sincerely,
Your fearless leader
Jessica Ridgeway
On facebook: LEFDP
On Twitter: @LEFDP
On Pinterest: LEFDP
http://liveearthfarm.net/discovery-program/support-us/
It’s Time to Start Growing your Garden!
It
’s that time of year again. Time to get your hands dirty in the garden. As you start prepping your garden for the summer, think about purchasing seeds from local seed vendor, Renee’s Garden. Not only will you receive top quality seeds and be supporting a local business, but part of the proceeds will be donated to the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program where we cultivate community connections to the land and food.
Simply go to www.reneesgarden.com and choose from the wide selection of seeds for heirloom and gourmet vegetables, cottage garden flowers and culinary herbs, special seed collections and great kitchen garden cookbooks.
At check out, just enter the code FR338A in the coupon code box on the checkout page,
and that’s it! Renee’s Garden will send a year-end check to the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program for 25% of all orders who use this fundraising code. Code expires December 31 each year. This is a year-round, on-going fundraiser, so order regularly for summer, fall and holiday gifts. Spread the word to your friends and family!
A Note From Renee Shepherd
I
am excited to be partnering with your organization to grow cash donations through our fundraising program. Here’s a little background about my seed company:
At Renee’s Garden, I offer only the varieties that are very special for home gardeners, based on great flavor, easy culture and exceptional garden performance. This seed line is my personal selection of time-tested heirlooms, the best international hybrids and fine open-pollinated varieties. I harvest and use the vegetables and herbs in my kitchen to choose the most delicious, and cut the flowers for bouquets to select the finest colors, forms and fragrances. Our varieties are tested and guaranteed for every major US climate zone.
Our individually written packets offer beautiful watercolor portraits, with personally written descriptions, complete growing instructions, a quick-view planting chart, growing tips, harvesting information and cooking ideas. Inside you’ll find superior quality seed–the top germinating, reliable seed usually reserved for specialty growers. Renee’s Garden is my practical way to spread the joy of gardening as a meaningful, productive and satisfying activity that connects us to each other and the earth. Please join me!
6060A Graham Hill Rd. Felton, CA 95018 www.reneesgarden.com
Volunteer and Donor Appreciation Party
We love our volunteers and donors. We can’t do what we do without them. So lets have a party and say thank you!
If you are a volunteer or donor, you are invited.
Saturday March 7th at 2pm at the ‘Upper Farm’.
172 Litchfield Lane, Watsonville, 95076.
There will be snacks, pizza from the cob oven, drinks and desserts, as well as music DJ’d by Doug Dirt and inspiring tales of success on the farm.
Please RSVP to:
Peter Nelson
LEFDPeducation@gmail.com
831-728-2032
Growing and preparing sustainably farmed food supports healthy bodies, healthy ecosystems and healthy economies. One person’s day-to-day choices, even a child’s, can positively impact and support the health of our community.
The camps at Live Earth Farm provide an extended opportunity for campers to explore their relationship to food. They plant and tend the garden and fields; they milk the cow and goats; they collect eggs, experiencing the real work of growing food. They then take those raw ingredients and learn to prepare and preserve healthy snacks, developing skills that are lost to many. Through hands-on interaction with their food they learn the benefits of diversity in their diet and in the ecosystem.
Last summer 10-year-old Mauricio worked alongside much younger and smaller campers like Richard, harvesting very muddy carrots. He took great care to make sure that even the smallest campers had a taste, wiping the mud off on his own jeans to make the vibrant orange carrots more palatable to the less adventurous campers.
Disconnection from the food that nourishes us, and the land and labor required to make that happen plays a roll in problems like childhood obesity and diabetes that are prevalent in our local, schools, especially among underserved populations. This is why the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program aims to raise $5,000 this spring to provide financial aid for more than 12 students to reconnect at farm camp in 2015.
To help sponsor summer camp for students like Mauricio, please make the greatest donation you can to the LEFDP financial aid fund this spring. Every contribution of any amount makes a big difference. All donations made by February 27th can be processed through the Monterey Peninsula Foundation Charity Match Program to add a 20% match. Please return the form enclosed with this letter with your check made out to MPF or make a secure donation online: http://liveearthfarm.net/discovery-program/support-us/
Help us support more campers in developing healthier habits and healthier lifestyles through good food and outdoor play at camp this year. Together we can make a difference for underserved young people living in the Pajaro Valley and beyond.
Please download the Goodshop app so that all of your online shopping can support Live Earth Farm Discovery. We raise a few hundred dollars each year this way and with your help we cold make it thousands!
We have partnered with Goodshop so that now you can feel great about your online shopping! When you shop through Goodshop a percentage of what you spend on virtually every purchase is donated to our cause AND Goodshop gives you the best coupons for thousands of stores like Target, Apple, Amazon, Petco and more! Plus, with the Goodshop app for iPhone and iPad, you can shop, save, and give on the go.
Get the Goodshop app
Invest in the Farm to Table Revolution
MAKE A MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE, SUPPORT OUR “GETTING READY FOR 2015” CAMPAIGN
A FEW STEPS CLOSER TO FARM TO TABLE EDUCATION FOR ALL
9 different programs offered346 kids were financially supported by you1500 hours of volunteer engagementINCREASE YOUR IMPACT BY 20%
[button link=”https://events.r2it.com/birdies/r.aspx?site=MontereyPeninsulaFoundation&charity=LEFDP”]Donate through Charity Match[/button]
The Live Earth Farm Discovery Program Announces Service Plans for 2014 Make A Difference Day
Local Volunteers Encouraged to Participate in Largest National Day of Community Service, Opportunities for All to Get Involved
Watsonville, CA, October 25, 2014 – The Live Earth Farm Discovery Program, a farm-based nutrition and environmental education organization, today announced plans to celebrate Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service. For more than two decades, USA WEEKEND and Points of Light have joined together to bring you Make A Difference Day, which is celebrated annually on the fourth Saturday in October. This national day of community service connects people with opportunities to serve, increases the strength of communities and promotes civic engagement.
Through Make a Difference Day, The Live Earth Farm Discovery Program is joining hundreds of other organizations around the country that are engaging their community in service.
This year the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program is incorporating Make a Difference Day volunteers into the Annual Pumpkin Patch and Apple Bash Harvest Festival. This community event at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville provides farm-based fun and learning for the whole family and is open to the public. The event features live music, a local artisanal marketplace with Penny Ice Cream, Hey Honey Lemonade, True Story Sausages, and Lagunitas, Brewing Company beer. The community can participate in hands-on field to fork activities including a cob oven baking workshop, cider pressing, face-painting, tractor rides, a pie contest and the biggest, most local potluck event in Santa Cruz County. Through this event and the Live Earth Farm Discovery Programs local children and families learn to take care of themselves, their communities and the environment through good food. “Local food networks support personal health, environmental sustainability and a strong economy. Volunteering with the Live Earth Farm Discovery Program on Make a Difference Day teaches families to participate in local food networks.”
Points of Light leads thousands of projects each year from coast to coast involving corporations, communities, nonprofit organizations, entire states and individuals. The nationwide undertaking includes revitalizing community centers, rehabilitating parks, improving low-income homes, creating community art projects, mentoring, serving meals, developing community gardens and much more.
“Make A Difference Day has become an enduring tradition that brings people together, across differences, to help solve community problems,” said Tracy Hoover, president of Points of Light. “With projects throughout the country, it’s a great opportunity to start volunteering or, if you already volunteer, it’s a great time to invite a friend to join you.”
Make A Difference Day is supported by Newman’s Own, which provides $10,000 awards to 10 volunteer efforts recognized as national Make A Difference Day honorees. In addition, three communities will be awarded $10,000 each from Newman’s Own in recognition of their Make A Difference Day good deeds. One past national honoree will receive the Encore Award of $10,000 from the Gannett Foundation.
Charity Match 2014
This year, the Discovery Program is delighted to partner with Monterey Peninsula Foundation through the Charity Match program to maximize our fundraising efforts! Monterey Peninsula Foundation Charity Match (formerly known as Birdies for Charity) is a unique way for nonprofits to raise more funds to serve their charitable mission.
Since the program began seven years ago, Charity Match has helped local nonprofit organizations and schools raise over $4 million.
This year’s program runs from November 3 through February 27.
Make a donation to the Discovery Program and it will be matched 20%. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Donations can be made at: https://events.r2it.com/birdies/r.aspx?site=MontereyPeninsulaFoundation&charity=LEFDP.
or by check:
- remit to: Monterey Peninsula Foundation
- send to: LEFDP, PO Box 3490, Freedom, CA 95019